Creamy Pesto Tortellini
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This simple and deliciously Creamy Pesto Tortellini is a dish you can toss together in just about 20 minutes yet feel great serving your family. It has a short list of ingredients and is a no-brainer to make, placing it forever among my favorite back-pocket recipes for busy weeknights.
Tortellini and pesto are two of my favorite ingredients, so it’s no surprise that they make a perfect pairing. What’s not to like? Tender cheese-filled tortellini dressed in a light cream pesto sauce add up to a weeknight meal that feels restaurant-worthy despite the minimal amount of time it takes to get on the table.
Especially in the summer, when fresh basil is so plentiful from neighborhood herb gardens, pesto makes everything dreamy and flavorful. And yes, you could just toss tortellini straight into some pesto and call it a day, but a few tiny additions — a splash of cream to enrich the sauce, toasted walnuts to add contrasting texture and nutty taste — take this dish up a notch.
Ingredient & Substitution Notes
Here are a few notes and shopping tips about the ingredients you’ll need. Find full amounts in the print-friendly recipe card below.
- Tortellini. My preference is always refrigerated tortellini, which is usually sold in the deli section near fresh cheeses and can be purchased in bulk & tossed in the freezer for use as you need. Dried tortellini also works here but takes significantly longer to cook. I usually use cheese tortellini, or cheese and spinach, but any filling you like is great.
- Basil pesto. Homemade or your favorite store-bought brand.
- Cream. A small splash of heavy or light cream goes a long way to make this sauce rich and luscious without weighing it down.
- Chopped walnut halves and pieces. This is a little touch and completely optional, but I love how adding a sprinkle of toasted walnuts elevates the dish above just a typical pasta + pesto dinner. (Just like this pesto rigatoni recipe we adore.) Pine nuts are a good substitute but typically more expensive.
- Fresh lemon juice, grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil leaves. The perfect finishing touches.
When it comes to pesto, fresher is always better in the flavor department, but even if you don’t quite have the time to make your own at home, you can usually buy a good-quality fresh pesto in a well-stocked deli department. A refrigerated pesto will outperform jarred store-bought pesto every day of the week.
Pro Tip
Blitz extra veggies straight into your pesto! Zucchini basil pesto tastes just like the classic version but has a hearty dose of zucchini and baby spinach mixed right in.
Variations & Optional Additions
You can toss in most anything that you like to spice this meal up a little bit more! Some ideas:
- Grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Shredded or diced chicken.
- Cooked shrimp.
- Sauteed zucchini or summer squash.
- Peas, green beans, broccoli, or bell peppers.
- Cooked meatballs.
How To Make Pesto Tortellini
- Cook the tortellini just to al dente, following the package directions. Reserve a small amount of the pasta water, then drain; you can use this to loosen or stretch the sauce if you wish.
- While pasta cooks, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Warm pesto, then stir in cream. Do this in the same skillet used for the walnuts. If you want a thinner sauce, stir in pasta water now, just a splash at a time.
- Stir in the lemon juice and tortellini. Top with walnuts, Parmesan, and fresh basil. Dig in!
Reserving just a half cup of pasta water is such a simple way to loosen a sauce. It’s tempting to drizzle in olive oil instead, but that doesn’t incorporate as smoothly and has a tendency to make your dish overly slick.
Of course you can add walnuts to the whole skillet or to individual servings, as you wish. My kids, sadly, are walnut skeptics, but I say, all the more for me! 😉
Serving Suggestions
This easy tortellini recipe makes a delightful light main course, whether for lunch or dinner, and also makes a great side to pair with lemon pepper chicken, baked Italian dressing chicken, or steaks. Add a simple salad and garlic bread or breadsticks and you are good to go!
It’s also an easy and fun contribution to a potluck or summer BBQ menu, pasta salad style. For allergy concerns, leave the walnuts to the side or add to individual portions only.
Storage & Reheating
Extra pesto tortellini keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days in any airtight container. Warm portions in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. If warming on the stove, add a very small splash of water or broth as needed to prevent sticking and loosen the sauce again.
I’ve yet to try freezing this recipe; if I do, I’ll come back and report how it goes!
Related Recipes
Love this? Try my creamy Tuscan tortellini, one-pan tortellini with tomato cream sauce, pesto cavatappi, or fresh pesto pasta with peas next.
Have just a bit of leftover pesto and craving something different? Pesto flatbreads make a delicious and super easy lunch or dinner.
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Creamy Pesto Tortellini
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces cheese tortellini
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook tortellini just to al dente, according to package directions. Before draining the tortellini, scoop about 1/2 cup of the cooking water out into a liquid measuring cup.8-10 ounces cheese tortellini
- While the tortellini cooks, toast the walnuts, if using, in a dry skillet set over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, just until they are fragrant and develop a few brown spots. Remove walnuts and set aside, leaving the skillet over medium heat.1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Add pesto to the skillet, then slowly stir in the cream. Warm for 3-4 minutes, until smooth. Add pasta water, a small splash at a time, until the sauce is thinned out to your desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice, followed by the drained tortellini. Stir well to combine.1/2 cup basil pesto, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Sample and season with salt and pepper to taste. (You may not need any, depending on how salty your pesto was to begin with. I usually don’t add any.)
- Serve tortellini right away, with toasted walnuts, fresh-grated Parmesan, and fresh basil, if desired, on top.Parmesan and fresh basil
Notes
- Yield: As written, this is fairly “saucy” for a relatively small amount of tortellini. If you increase the amount of tortellini to serve more people, you can of course thin out the sauce a bit more with pasta water, or just increase the amount of pesto and cream by 1.5 or 2x.
- Useful Tools (affiliate links): Over-the-sink Colander | Angled Measuring Cup | Sauté Tool | Citrus Press
